Moonberries and Ghosts
by Solora Goldsun
Summary: After being un-ghosted by the elves of Silvergrove, Rayla decides to return home with Callum to celebrate her birthday.
1. Moonberry Surprise

**Hello, my lovelies! Did anyone order a nice dose of Rayllum? How about some homecoming goodness for Rayla? What about Ethari being a pun-loving, embarrassing-story-telling dad? If you said yes to all of the above, you're in luck!**

**Enjoy!**

"Hey, Rayla?" Callum called as they continued their journey through a very familiar forest. "Are you-?"

"Callum," Rayla cut in, her voice tinged with irritation. "You asked me if I was okay five minutes ago, and I said I was fine."

"I mean, it's possible for that answer to change in five minutes," Callum reasoned. "I just want to make sure. Do you need a break? Need to gather your thoughts? Need-?"

"I need you to stop worrying," Rayla said, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, you have enough stress in you for three people and a dragon."

"Well, _someone_ needs to worry about you." Callum folded his arms stubbornly. "You were really hurt the last time we were here. I don't want it to happen again, especially on your birthday."

"I know, Callum." Rayla's annoyed frown softened slightly. She walked over and touched his cheek, feeling a smile coming unbidden to her face as he leaned into her touch. "But this is something I need to do, for myself more than anything. I've waited long enough."

A moon had passed since a message arrived at the Storm Spire from Silvergrove. It had been a hastily-written note in Ethari's hand, carried by a moon-faced owl, informing Rayla that the Ghost spell had been reversed. Another more official note from the village chief had arrived days later. Rayla had read and reread both of them, hid them away, then took them out to read them again.

Finally, as the second moon of summer neared its end, Rayla asked Queen Zubeia if she could leave the Storm Spire for a few days. As several more elves had joined the new Dragonguard by this point, and Rayla's birthday was coming up, the queen gladly consented. Of course, Callum was quick to ask Ibis for a few days' break from his lessons.

The sun was beginning to set as they drew closer to the hidden village.

"It may be a bit tense at first," Rayla allowed as she took Callum's hand and led him onto the large branch they had danced on last time. "But it'll be fun too! I can finally show you everything, and you can try a moonberry surprise!" Her eyes brightened at the mere thought.

Callum grinned. "I'm definitely curious to see what it actually is."

"And," Rayla continued. "We don't have to worry about hiding, running from soldiers, or protecting Zym from suspicious Skywings."

The young dragon prince remained at the Spire, as his mother was still having trouble letting him out of her sight for long periods of time. Rayla had assured him that he'd have more freedom once he got older, and promised to bring him a present.

"It'll be a totally normal visit. You don't even have to wear a disguise this time!"

"I mean…" Callum eyed some nearby tree branches. "I _could_ bring Elf Callum back."

"Can and should are not the same thing."

"But think of how fun it would-"

"No," Rayla said flatly. "Elf Callum is dead. If he tries to come back to life, he will be horribly beaten, and I'll be incapable of protecting him."

"Aw." Callum pouted. "Well, now you've hurt me treelings!"

Rayla stopped dead in her tracks, releasing Callum's hand so she could bring hers to her face. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't push you off this tree right now," she groaned through her fingers.

Her answer was a pair of warm arms wrapping around her waist, the press of a familiar form against her back, and a tickling breath across her neck. She yelped, squirming in Callum's embrace as he kissed the very tip of her ear, making it twitch several times in rapid succession. "Callum!" she laughed, glancing over her shoulder so she could see the mischievous smirk on his face.

"Sorry," he replied, wholly unrepentant. "Just trying to save my life here. Not much room for the wing spell, and falling from a tree is a really anticlimactic way to go."

He nuzzled the side of her neck and blew another puff of air past her ear, his chest fluttering as it flicked instinctively. "And it's really cute when they do that."

Rayla giggled, turning around in Callum's arms so she could touch a kiss to his dorkily-smiling lips. "What am I going to do with you?" she murmured, slipping her fingers through his hair and tugging gently.

Callum's face reddened even more, but his smile remained steady. "I mean, I could make a list, if you want. I have a few ideas."

"Oh, hush!" Rayla laughed, taking his hand and leading him to the spot on the branch that overlooked the village. Her heart felt light again thanks to Callum, and she wanted to get the initial reunion over with while some of that feeling still remained. "Let's do this."

They placed their bags to the side and stood facing each other. Callum tried to mimic Rayla's initial pose, but she had to correct his arm placement almost immediately. They danced in a circle, Callum successfully not falling from the tree, clasping hands as the runes appeared in the bark. Rayla's palm was a little sweaty, betraying her nervousness, and Callum squeezed it a little as the illusion dissipated, revealing the village of Silvergrove waiting below them.

Along with the village, a familiar Moonshadow elf materialized on the branch only a few feet away. Ethari hurried to embrace Rayla as she turned around, evoking a surprised gasp.

"You're finally here!" he sighed, hugging her tightly.

Rayla was frozen with shock for only a moment before she readily returned her guardian's hug. Tears pricked her eyes in response to the familiar warmth of Ethari's arms, the smell of metal and stone that always followed him, and the simple feeling of being home again. She let out a noise that was halfway between a laugh and a sob when she was lifted a few inches off the ground.

Callum watched the reunion, feeling some of the tension in his chest loosening. Despite the help Ethari had offered before, it was hard to forget that first time in the workshop, when the grief-stricken elf had blamed Rayla for Runaan's death. _It seems like he's trying to make up for it now, at least._

When Ethari placed Rayla down again, Callum saw that his face was alight with pure happiness. It was like when Harrow would come home from a long trip and see his sons after weeks of absence, his eyes shining brighter than the sun. Any lingering reservations concerning Rayla's adoptive father faded instantly.

Ethari noticed Callum, and his smile widened, like his happiness was consciously expanding to make room for another individual. "My greetings, Prince Callum," he said, bowing deeply. "Thank you for coming to Silvergrove."

Callum had to take a half-second to recover. He was usually only addressed by his title when taking part in meetings with Queen Zubeia and the various ambassadors across the kingdoms. Everyone at the Storm Spire was familiar enough with him to just use his first name. The queen was the only one who consistently called him Prince Callum.

"Thank you for letting me stay with you," he replied, bowing back. "And, you don't have to be formal with me. We're all friends here."

"Very well." Ethari straightened up, his smile turning to a slight smirk. "In that case, I'm very trees to see you again!"

A huge grin split Callum's face. "Why, I'm mighty trees to see you too, mate!"

Rayla's teary smile was quickly replaced with a dead-eyed glare. "If I could knock myself unconscious by falling from this branch, I would," she said flatly.

Ethari laughed. "Maybe we should _leaf_ well-enough alone."

"No…" Rayla groaned.

"I think we're _barking_ up the wrong tree," Callum quipped.

Rayla turned her eyes toward the heavens. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Now, Rayla," Ethari mock-scolded. "Don't be like that. We should really _stick_ together."

"I'm ditching both of you now." Rayla started toward the village, her eyes rolling hard enough to pose an actual threat to the future stability of her face.

She faltered a little as she walked down the path, realizing that there were many people openly staring at her. Expressions ranged from curiosity to suspicion in some, nervousness to joy in others. It was a very mixed reception, which she had expected. Just the same, she felt her heart shaking against her ribs.

Callum hurried to her side, with Ethari walking close behind the two. He wanted to reach for her hand, but held back. Rayla had told him that Ethari wasn't aware of their relationship yet.

"It's not because he'll be mad," she had said. "I just think this is something I should tell him in person."

Rayla felt the comforting heat radiating from her boyfriend, and managed a smile. A tall Moonshadow elf approached, clad in a silver and white gown and a circlet on her brow that showed the cycles of the moon. She held out her hands to Rayla, who took them a little shakily.

"Welcome home, Dragonguard Captain Rayla," said the chieftain of the village, a woman named Artemis, who was just nearing her two hundred and fiftieth birthday.

She eyed Callum with more interest than one would expect. "And greetings to you, human mage. As Rayla's guest, you are also welcome in Silvergrove."

"Thank you," Callum said, bowing his head slightly. The elf wasn't offering her hands to him at all, so he kept his at his sides. He couldn't help but notice the varying expressions on some of the nearby elves. Many of the less friendly looks were directed at him.

_You're welcome for saving the Dragon Prince, by the way,_ he thought. _Don't mention it. I only stopped your country from going to war!_

Chieftain Artemis withdrew just as suddenly as she came, waving vaguely at the other elves, telling them to go back to their usual business. Most obeyed, though many kept glancing over their shoulders at the formerly-ghosted former-assassin.

Rayla's posture slumped a bit once most of the eyes were off her. "That was mostly painless," she noted.

"I didn't hear an apology," Callum grumbled. "Sorry for ghosting you, Rayla. We made a mistake, Rayla. We're a bunch of jerks, Rayla."

"Apologies aren't really a thing here," Rayla explained. "The fact that they went to the trouble of lifting the spell, and welcomed us without incident, is enough to prove that they're glad to see me."

Callum frowned. "The trouble of lifting a spell they _wrongfully cast in the first place?_"

"Callum." Rayla's voice held a hint of warning as she glanced at Ethari, who was suddenly avoiding her gaze. "It's okay."

Callum noticed Ethari's guilty expression and decided to relent for the time being. "Okay," he sighed.

"Hey," Ethari gently interjected, a hesitant smile coming to his face. "I have a surprise waiting at home. We should probably hurry back before someone else finds and eats it."

Rayla gasped, her expression lightening immediately. "Moonberry surprise!"

"I had it prepared and brought over this afternoon," Ethari said, perking up at his daughter's excitement. "There's enough for both of you, as long as Rayla doesn't give us a repeat of her eighth birthday."

"_Ethari!"_ Rayla's excited smile quickly melted into a look of pure horror.

"Why, what happened on Rayla's eighth birthday, Ethari?" Callum dutifully asked, ignoring the lethal glare Rayla shot his way.

"I'm so glad you asked!" Ethari laughed. "You see, Runaan used to make Rayla's moonberry surprise a day ahead of time, and had to hide it in harder and harder places to keep her from finding it before her birthday. Well, when she turned eight…"

The three walked to the large tree that made up Ethari's home, Rayla hiding her face in her hands as Callum was told what would probably be the first of many embarrassing stories.

"It took weeks to get the frosting out," Ethari finished. "Because we kept finding new spots each day!"

"Oh, look!" Rayla said loudly as they got to the living space that was above Ethari's shop. "We're here!"

Callum was surprised at how homey the interior of the house was, considering the fact that it had been the home of two assassins and a weapons maker. There was a large couch against the left wall, with two armchairs sitting more toward the center of the room, all upholstered with a night-blue fabric. A small end table bearing a silver lamp sat between the armchairs, and the couch had been made up with a light blue comforter and some pale gray pillows. Shelves brimming with books of all sizes lined the walls, and the windows were tinted violet, making any incoming light turn gentle and sleepy.

"I prepared the couch for you," Ethari said. "I hope you'll be comfortable."

"This looks great! Thanks." Callum placed his bag near the couch and sat down. It was very soft, and the comforter felt surprisingly-cool despite how thick it was.

"I tidied up a bit in your room, Rayla," Ethari continued, his expression apologetic. "I…couldn't bear to change anything before, but I thought you'd want it to at least be dusted when you came home. I put everything back where it was."

"Oh." Rayla looked down the hallway. With everything happening, she hadn't even thought about her old bedroom. A surprisingly-sharp pang of nostalgia hit her as a vivid picture of what it had looked like surfaced in her mind. It felt like so long ago, when it wasn't even two seasons. "Thank you."

She hesitated for a moment, then placed her bag on one of the armchairs. She'd look at her room later. "So, about that moonberry surprise…"

Ethari smiled. "Of course! We shouldn't keep the birthday girl waiting, after all."

The three went down one of the hallways, which ended in a small, cozy kitchen. There was a table with three chairs, all made of an almost-black wood, an iron stove that was surrounded by carved runes ("To stop any fires from spreading," Rayla explained when she noticed Callum looking), a sink, and a well-worn countertop.

On the table was a huge cake covered with creamy frosting and a literal mound of juicy, sugared moonberries on top.

Rayla's eyes were so big, it was like Bait honing in on a jelly tart. "You got a big one!" she gasped.

Callum gaped at the huge confection. "Ezran would demolish this," he decided. "The whole thing. And maybe a few of our fingers."

"That reminds me of when Rayla was five-" Ethari started.

"Let's eat!" Rayla quickly shouted, giving him a pointed glare.

Callum snickered, but didn't press for more info. _I'll be merciful this time._

The three sat down and Ethari started to cut the cake. As the first slice was moved onto a plate, something pink started running from the inside, looking like a candy waterfall.

"Custard!" Callum realized. "Is that the surprise?"

"It's a different flavor each time," Rayla explained, accepting her plate eagerly. "But it always goes perfectly with the cake and moonberries, no matter what it is!"

Callum peered into the cake as another slice was cut for him. Instead of being between the layers, the custard oozed out from a cavern carved in the center of the cake. Ethari scooped an extra amount onto both Rayla and Callum's plates.

"How do they get the custard in there?" Callum wondered. "And how do they keep it from oozing out when they bake it?"

"That's part of the secret," Rayla replied with a wink. She took a bite, flooding her mouth with the sweet taste of her childhood. The sweet vanilla cake, the tart, juicy berries, and the rich frosting blended perfectly on her tongue. The custard tasted like a combination of Xadian oranges and bananas.

Callum shoved a huge bite into his mouth, making a muffled noise of appreciation. "Since it's secret," he said once he swallowed. "I guess there's no use asking if a recipe could be sent to Barius. Ezran would seriously love this!"

"The moonberry surprise is a jealously-guarded Moonshadow secret," Rayla said gravely. "So, we'll just have to bring him next time." She glanced at Ethari. "Is that okay?"

"Of course," Ethari assured her as he cut himself a piece. He only gave himself a little custard, saving the majority for the kids. "From what you've told me about him, I think we'd get along just fine."

After that, there was silence except for the occasional clang of a fork on a plate. Rayla quickly devoured her first slice and started cutting another.

Ethari got up to put a kettle of water on the stove. "Would anyone like tea?" He chuckled at the two muffled affirmatives. "There will be more tomorrow, so try not to choke on what's there. I'd hate to be the one to kill two of Xadia's finest heroes."

Callum glanced at Rayla, noticing the way her back straightened just a little and her eyes brightened even further in response to Ethari's words. He shared a quick smile with her, his heart warming at how happy she looked just then.

When Ethari returned with the tea, they were on the last two slices of the surprise. Ethari waved away Callum's offer of another slice.

Rayla was chewing more slowly now, and paused to take a sip of tea. She glanced at Callum, who read her hesitant expression and nodded once.

"Ethari," she ventured. "There's something you should know, and I wanted to wait till we were here to tell you."

"Oh?" Ethari placed his cup down, giving his daughter his full attention.

"I've already mentioned in my letters that Callum is my best friend," Rayla started. "That's not the whole truth." She reached for Callum's hand, which readily grasped hers. "We've been together for a few moons now."

Callum squeezed her hand, which he felt was shaking a little. Rayla had said before that she wasn't worried about Ethari's reaction, but Callum had known this wasn't entirely true. Their relationship had already been treated with some scrutiny by others they'd encountered, due to lingering feelings of mistrust by both humans and elves. Even if Ethari accepted Callum as a friend and guest, seeing him as a romantic partner for Rayla could be an entirely different matter.

They both looked at Ethari, waiting for his reaction.

He regarded the two calmly, his hands folded. "Thank you for telling me, Rayla." Then, the corner of his mouth quirked upward. "But I already knew."

Rayla and Callum blinked in perfect unison.

"You knew?" Callum asked.

"Of course," Ethari said, picking up his tea again. "I was waiting on that branch for your arrival for over an hour. Saw you two frolicking and being adorable." He smirked slightly as he took a sip. "Honestly, Rayla. I'm surprised you forgot that we can see people who approach the village, even if they don't see us."

Rayla's eyes widened and her face burned a bright scarlet. _Of course! Since we aren't ghosted anymore…_ Her head hit the table with a thud, and she groaned loudly.

Callum's face was also a nice shade of red. He glanced from Rayla to Ethari, who still wore a very self-satisfied smile. "So," he ventured. "This means you're okay with me? With us?"

Ethari's expression softened. "Of course," he said. "You were a better friend to Rayla than…" A flicker of regret crossed his face. "Than anyone else. After all you've done together, I can't imagine a better partner for her."

Rayla lifted her head from the table. Her cheeks were still a deep rouge color, but she was smiling again. "Thank you, Ethari."

Callum nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"I do need to say this, though," Ethari continued, turning to face Callum directly. "If you break Rayla's heart, I'll have to kill you. I'm not saying this because I think you actually will," he said, ignoring Rayla's mortified expression. "But because, as Rayla's guardian, I have to say it at least once."

Callum balked just a little due to the sheer intensity of Ethari's stare, but he didn't feel any real fear. "I get it," he replied. "My aunt gave Rayla the same speech. You don't have to worry."

"I didn't think so." Ethari brightened immediately. "Once you're done with your tea, Rayla can show you where to get cleaned up before bed. If you need anything, my room is the one at the end of the other hallway." He stood up to put his dish in the sink. As he walked by Rayla, he bent down to kiss the top of her head.

"I really am glad you're home," he murmured. "Sleep well." He nodded at Callum before walking out of the kitchen.

"Night!" Callum called after him. He turned to smile at Rayla, who looked like she was still trying to process just how embarrassed she was supposed to be from that entire encounter. "That went well," he commented.

Rayla shook herself. "It really did." She let out a sigh. "But I might die if Ethari tries to tell you any more stories."

Callum grinned. "Aw, but I wanna hear all about how adorable you were!"

"_Were?_" Rayla raised an eyebrow.

Callum immediately paled. "Uh, I mean, you know, like a kid. Adorable as a kid. Not that you aren't adorable now! It's just a different kind…of…" He trailed off when he saw the telltale signs of suppressed laughter on Rayla's face.

"You're a jerkface," he said flatly.

"Gotcha!" Rayla snickered, poking his cheek playfully until she coaxed a grin out of him. It didn't take that long.

After finishing the rest of the moonberry surprise, the two got cleaned up. Even though their journey was several moons ago, they definitely appreciated the luxury of being able to actually clean themselves and have separate pajamas and fresh clothes to put on afterward. Being able to sleep on actual beds was also pretty nice.

When they got back to the house, Rayla picked up her bag, eying the hallway leading to her room. Callum noticed her expression and touched her arm.

"Want me to go with you?" he asked.

Rayla shook her head, allowing herself a smile. "Ethari might have a problem with that. Even he has limits, you know."

"True." Callum pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Rayla's lips. "You know where to find me if you need anything."

"I know." Rayla kissed his cheek, ruffling his hair in a familiar, affectionate gesture. "I love you."

"Love you too!" Callum readily replied. He waited for her to disappear down the hallway before lying down himself.

Rayla approached her room, feeling slightly less nervous than before. Tiredness and an impending food coma managed to push away more of her fear. She placed a hand on the door, then pushed it open.

On the other side was her room. As Ethari had said, nothing had been moved. She looked at her bed in the corner, her personal book shelf, her owl stuffed animal that sat on a well-worn pillow, and the small mirror that hung crookedly over her dresser because she had never bothered to straighten it.

She felt…perfectly normal.

There was no fear, no outstanding relief, and no great epiphany. This was her room, the place where she didn't have to think or feel anything. This was where she was meant to read books, store her clothes, and rest.

Just then, resting was her top priority.

She lay down in her bed, and it was as if she had only been away for a short while, as if she was simply retiring after her evening training session. The mattress accepted her shape gladly, and she was asleep before she could even form another thought.

**I'm planning on this being a six-chapter fic. This will consist largely of fluff, though we will get a bit of angst further in, mostly due to the fact that the Silvergrove elves SUCK! I will hold back on my many rants concerning how Rayla was treated by her own people, because said feelings will absolutely be brought up in this story!**

**I have decided that Ethari is a Dork, with a capital D. Yet, he is also the one out of the Ruthari pairing to have full custody of the single brain cell they share. He will feature heavily throughout this fic, and several others, I assure you.**

**When we come back, it'll be Rayla's birthday! More Rayllum fluff is incoming, so stay tuned.**

**Peace out!**


	2. Rayla's Birthday

**Okay, so this update took way longer than I had planned. The holidays were insane, and getting back into the swing of things after the new year was even worse. I don't plan on making you wait a month for the next chapter, don't worry!**

**Enjoy!**

Rayla woke up before sunrise on her sixteenth birthday and, for a moment, it felt like all the birthdays before.

In that moment of foggy bliss between the sleeping and waking world, she was in a different time. Once she was fully awake, she would spring from her bed and hurry into the next room to find a letter from her parents waiting for her. She'd read it over and over again, imagining her mother and father in the Storm Spire, serving the King and Queen. She would spend her afternoon writing back, then enter the kitchen to find a slightly-messy moonberry surprise, courtesy of Runaan.

She opened her eyes. The illusion faded like a dream as she was unceremoniously dropped into full consciousness. There would be no letter from her parent, and no messy baking attempts from Runaan. Not this year, or any other year.

A few tears trickled down her cheek, seeping into the pillow. Wiping her face, she forced her suddenly-heavy limbs to bear her weight and take her out of her room.

Her heart lightened a bit as she entered the living room and saw Callum, still fast asleep on the couch. His mouth was slightly open, and he was hugging one of the pillows to his chest. He had recently admitted that he was now so used to cuddling with Rayla whenever possible, he instinctively clung to whatever was on hand when sleeping alone. It was ridiculously adorable!

Rayla knelt next to him, gently brushing his bangs to the side, taking in his dopey sleeping face. The softest of smiles pushed through her lingering sadness, and she touched a quick kiss to his brow before getting ready for the day.

Ethari was already in the kitchen when she returned, sipping a cup of tea and eating a muffin. He glanced up with mild surprise as Rayla entered. "I thought you'd sleep in more. You went to bed a bit late."

"I'm fine," Rayla assured him. "I'm used to getting up early."

"All the more reason to get more sleep when you can." He touched Rayla's cheek as she sat down next to him. "I believe those are bags under your eyes."

"Ethari," Rayla groaned, batting his hand away. "I'm fine. No fussing on my birthday."

"Fine, fine." Ethari held up his hands in surrender.

"And no telling my boyfriend embarrassing stories!" she added, shooting him a pointed glare.

"As you say," Ethari said, a smirk coming to his face. "You're here for two more days, after all."

"Ugggghhhhhh!" Rayla's forehead quickly became acquainted with the table.

Ethari chuckled quietly, then reached over to ruffle Rayla's hair. "I'm so glad you came home. I… Well, I wasn't sure if you'd want to come back."

Rayla looked up from her faceplant. "It was mainly because I wanted to see you." She sat up fully again. "With Mom, Dad, and Runaan gone, I want to stay close to the family I have left." Her heart ached once again as she thought of them.

A ripple of pain crossed Ethari's expression, and he slowly withdrew his hand, staring down at the table. "Rayla, I've been meaning to-" He stopped just as footsteps approached the kitchen.

"Morning!" Callum said brightly as he sat down at the table. "Happy birthday, Rayla!"

"Thank you." Rayla tried to steal a glance at Ethari, but he was already standing up to get a cup of tea for Callum.

Her ears drooped slightly. _What was he going to say that got him so nervous all of a sudden?_ She noticed Callum giving her a concerned look and minutely shook her head, mouthing "Later."

Callum nodded as Ethari returned with his tea. "So, any big plans today?"

"Whatever you decide to do," Ethari replied. "I didn't plan much besides making sure everywhere is stocked with moonberry surprise." He winked at Rayla. "Rayla never much liked birthday parties."

"I like parties just fine," Rayla said. "I just don't like having large numbers of people staring at me."

"Big celebrations are part of the package if you're in the royal family," Callum sighed nostalgically. "The parties back in Katolis for Ezran and my birthdays were always huge. Personally, I would've been fine doing my yearly family portrait and having a smaller meal at the end of the day." His expression became wistful. "But Dad always wanted to make sure I got the royal treatment."

Rayla touched Callum's hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something cross Ethari's face. It was a pained expression, similar to what she had seen before Callum came into the kitchen. It cleared away when she tried to look directly at him.

Ethari was already smiling again as he asked: "You have a portrait painted every year?"

"I draw it, actually," Callum explained. "Dad gave me a huge sketchbook for my birthday when I was little, and I've done a family picture every year since." His portrait this year was the first one that had all of his parents bearing the more faded lines of one who has died. It was also the first one to include an elf.

"I see." A genuine smile quickly replaced the improvised one of a moment ago. "I'd like to see your sketches before you go back to the Spire, if that's alright with you."

Callum grinned brightly. "Sure! Ooh, I can draw a-" He suddenly stopped, his eyes shining as a brilliant idea occurred to him. He coughed. "I can draw a thing I will show you guys later on," he finished unconvincingly.

Rayla and Ethari exchanged a curious look, but said nothing.

After the table was cleared and Callum went into the next room to tidy up the sofa, Ethari approached Rayla and whispered: "Later on, I can give you a sip of moonberry wine, if you like."

Rayla's eyes lit up. Moonberry wine was a rare treat that she only got one sip of per year. Unlike most wines, this one contained no alcoholic burn, instead tasting like a very rich, deep kind of moonberry juice. "Can Callum try?"

Ethari shook his head. "No. I'm your guardian, so it's different for me to give you a taste. If his aunt was here and agreed, that'd be different. Besides, moonberry wine is very potent. There's no telling how even a little could affect a human."

"True," Rayla allowed. "I'll have a sip before bed."

"I take it you two will be wandering about today?" Ethari guessed.

"Of course!" Rayla smiled excitedly. "I want to show him everything."

Ethari's expression became somewhat shadowed. "Just remember: Despite what you and Callum have done, there is still a lot of prejudice against humans, especially here. Be careful, and tell Chieftain Artemis if anyone misbehaves. Tell me as well, so I can discreetly kill them for you."

"Wasn't I the one trained in 'discreet killing?'" Rayla asked, sticking out her tongue as she pointedly tried to lighten the mood.

Ethari chuckled, but his eyes remained serious. "Just be careful."

"We will," Rayla promised. When Callum returned, she led him out the door, waving over her shoulder. "Bye, Ethari!"

Ethari waved back, smiling cheerily, though the expression was wiped from his face as soon as the door closed. The silence pressed in, replacing the usual morning breakfast noises. Fleeing the sudden quiet, he returned to his room.

The bed was large, well-made, and far too empty. Ethari sat down on his side, picking up the pillow from his husband's side and pressing it to his face. Runaan's scent was almost gone.

Hugging the pillow to his chest, Ethari fell back on the bed. "You always said I was better at talking to her," he murmured, closing his eyes. "So, why am I having so much trouble saying two tiny words?"

No one answered, but Ethari knew without being told: It was because he didn't want to open that door again. He didn't want to think about that moment when Rayla had come to him, scared and in need, and he cruelly turned her away. He didn't want to revisit the heartbreak he had seen on her face as it was reflected in one of his blades.

He wanted to pretend it hadn't happened. He wanted to look at his daughter's happy face, and take it for what it was. He wanted to spoil her, get to know that funny, kind human she was so fond of, and try to move on with his life.

And he knew Rayla wanted that too. It was why she had brushed off the fact that no one had apologized to her. It was just easier to bury the mistakes of the past and focus on a happier present. It was better to just leave things as they were.

"So, why does my stomach hurt so much?" Ethari mumbled. "And no, it's not because I had too much moonberry wine, love. I learned my lesson the first time, don't you remember?" He let out a short laugh that quickly turned into a hiccupping sob.

He rolled over, pressing his nose into Runaan's pillow once again.

…..

At the bottom of the stairs, Callum questioned Rayla about what had been bothering her at breakfast.

"It's not me," she explained. "Something seems to be off with Ethari." She described the hurt, sad looks she had caught out of the corner of her eye when she had spoken to him, and when Callum had mentioned King Harrow.

"He could be thinking about Runaan," Callum suggested. "If you're worried, you should talk to him about it."

"I will." Rayla placed her hand over Callum's as she looked back up at the tree. "I wish Runaan was here. I think you two would have gotten along." She smiled a little, though her eyes were getting misty. "Don't get me wrong: He'd absolutely do the scary father act whenever possible, but he'd secretly like you."

Callum pulled her into a hug, letting her lean against him for a moment. "If you need a minute, we can stay here for a bit."

Rayla hugged Callum back, squeezing once before stepping away resolutely. "No, I'm fine. I want to enjoy today. You're finally in Silvergrove, and we're going to make the most of it. Come on!"

Silvergrove shimmered like gold-flushed alabaster in the morning sun, the mystic beauty of the night being replaced with a surprisingly-straightforward summer day loveliness. Callum drank it all in as Rayla tugged him down a path.

"What's the first stop?" he asked.

"The Eclipse Bakery," Rayla replied. "I went there before school at the end of every week. They sell very small moonberry surprises that I could afford with my allowance. I'd eat mine on the way to my first class."

Callum imagined a young Rayla hurrying toward a schoolhouse, an overfull bookbag on her back, half of a moonberry surprise crammed into her mouth. _I am so drawing that later,_ he thought with a grin. _After I do that thing I thought of for Ethari and Rayla…_

The man in charge of the Eclipse Bakery was the opposite of Barius in nearly every way. Instead of a friendly face and shining eyes, he wore what seemed to be a permanent disapproving scowl. He was as thin and upright as a newly-displayed scarecrow. As the kids walked in, he nibbled on the edge of a tart, frowned, and threw what looked to be an entire platter of them into the trash.

He blinked a little out of sync when he saw his two newest customers, but otherwise betrayed no emotion. "Welcome," he said, nodding once to both Rayla and Callum. "Everything was made fresh this morning."

Callum blanched under his piercing stare, but Rayla was grinning. The brusque attitude of the baker was as familiar to her as what she was about to order. "I'll have a moonberry surprise, please!" She reached into her pocket, but stopped when Callum touched her wrist.

"Oh, no!" he said. "It's your birthday. You aren't paying for anything." He stepped forward. "Make that two moonberry surprises and…" He looked at the case for a moment. "Ooh! That chocolate tart looks good too. I'll have one of those, please."

The baker nodded and started packing up the pastries in simple black boxes. He calculated the total.

"Isn't that a little low?" Callum asked, checking the prices again.

"Hers is free," the baker said simply, glancing at Rayla, who returned his look with a pleasantly-surprised smile.

"Wow, thanks!" Callum started counting out his coins. "You know, it was my birthday too recently…" he started.

The baker grunted. "Come back next year on your actual birthday, and we'll see."

"Fair enough." Callum accepted the boxes. "Have a nice day!"

"Watch yourself out there," the baker advised.

"Is it just me," Callum said as they walked down the path. "Or was that cranky baker somehow the second most friendly elf we've seen here?" He glanced toward a nearby house, where one of the resident Moonshadows quickly turned away, pretending they hadn't been staring. "I mean, he took my money, invited me back, and didn't call me 'human.'"

"He likes people who like good pastries," Rayla replied, though she was privately surprised as well. Then, she felt a flush of sadness that she even had to be surprised about something like that.

"Anyway," she said, pushing the thought aside. "In keeping with tradition, let's go to school!"

As they walked, they started munching on their moonberry surprises. This batch was filled with a simple, sweet blueberry custard that contrasted nicely with the tart moonberries on top. Rayla finished hers first, licking her fingers cheerfully as she looked at the sunlight shining through the treetops. It was almost like her old school days, except she wasn't hurrying to a boring class!

Callum finished his pastry and noticed a small spot of custard on Rayla's cheek. "Here, you got a little something," he said, running his thumb over the spot and licking the custard from his hand without a second thought.

Rayla blushed both at her messiness and the casual intimacy of Callum's gesture. Even after several moons with him, the littlest moments and actions could still stun her with just how happy they made her. She heard a cough behind them and glanced over just in time to see a scowling elf walking back into her home a few feet down the road. She tried to hide her frown, and hurried Callum along.

They reached their destination, and Callum could only stare. The school didn't resemble any of the educational buildings or libraries in Katolis, which were often large stone creations of uniform size and shape. Instead of being one structure, this school was comprised of several trees of various sizes. The biggest one sat in the center and had more bridges extending from it than one could count. An entrance had been carved into the base, and there were doorways opening up onto sturdy branches. Callum could see a few students running from one branch to the next along the bridges. At the base of the trees was a cleared field filled with various forms of beat-up training equipment.

"That's where recess happens," Rayla explained, smiling nostalgically. "I always played on the climbing wall."

"I need to draw this," Callum gasped, taking his sketchbook out of his bag. "It's neat how everything was built inside the living trees."

"The Earthblood elves do a better job at things like that," Rayla said dismissively, though there was a hint of pride in her voice just the same.

As Callum was finishing a quick sketch of the center tree, a group of children came running from the base of it toward the field. They stopped short when they saw Rayla and Callum. There was a beat of silence before the child swarm surged forward and, without preamble, started bombarding the two with questions.

"I know who you are! Were you really ghosted? What do elves look like without faces?"

"Is it cool being a Dragonguard?"

"Did you really kill a king?"

"Is that really a human? Is it gonna eat us?"

"Hold it!" Rayla shouted, holding up her hands. The children hushed up immediately. She took a breath and looked at each kid in turn. "Yes, I was. Elves without faces look terrifying, and I hope you never have to see just how so. Being a Dragonguard is the best. No, I didn't kill-"

She paused, her brows furrowing. "Wait, Viren _was_ King of Katolis when I pushed him from the Spire, wasn't he?"

"Yep," Callum affirmed, though he was still gaping at the kid who had asked the last question. "Did that kid seriously ask if I was going to eat them?!"

"So, yes. I did, in fact, kill a king," Rayla continued, frowning. Before, having a dead human king on her record would have made her proud, especially if it was one as evil as Viren. Now, she felt mostly hollow about the whole thing.

She turned to the last kid. "And yes, that is a human. No, he won't eat you."

"Why in the world would you think I'd eat you?" Callum asked, staring at the wide-eyed child.

"Humans eat magical creatures," the kid said, folding their arms. "They steal magic and cast bad spells. Everyone knows that."

Rayla opened her mouth to deny this, but Callum was already kneeling down, so he was at eye level with the children. A few of them shrank away from him, but most held their ground, their curiosity winning out over their nervousness.

"There _are_ bad humans in the world," he admitted. "And _some_ of those bad humans use Dark Magic. But I'm a good human, and I don't use Dark Magic, so I'm not taking magic away from anyone. I actually use Sky Magic."

"Nuh-uh!" a young girl piped up. "Humans can only use Dark Magic! Everyone knows that!"

"Oh, really?" Callum stood up and held out his arms. "Watch closely. Manus Pluma Volantus!" He felt the familiar tickle of his feathers sprouting down his arms.

"WHOA!" The kids chorused. A few hurried forward to tug at the feathers, making Callum wince a little.

"They're real!" a young boy with sharp eyes and a fearless grin called to the others. "And those were actual dragon words he said!"

"Can you fly?"

"Why else would I have wings?"

"Fly now!" This was quickly repeated by several other eager children. "Yeah, show us how you fly!"

Callum looked around. "I need a high place to jump from…"

"Let's take him in the school," the sharp-eyed boy suggested. "He can jump off that branch up there!"

"But we aren't allowed," another student pointed out. "Remember? Our teachers said the human isn't allowed inside."

Rayla's breath caught as Callum visibly deflated. She quickly placed a hand on his shoulder as his entire posture slumped down. It was like all the enthusiasm that had filled him with the presence of his wings was being let out of a new puncture wound in his chest.

"They really said that?" he muttered, his voice barely loud enough to hear. _What did they think I was gonna do? Hurt the kids? Do I really look that dangerous?_ He glanced toward the trees, wondering when a teacher would chance a look out a window and hurry down to chase him off. His heart felt heavy enough to prevent flight, even if he did find a high place to jump from. "We should probably go."

"No, wait!" the sharp-eyed boy protested. "We'll tell them you aren't gonna eat us! Then, they have to let you in!"

"It's fine," Callum quickly said, forcing a smile even though there was a growing pressure behind his eyes. "We need to get going. You guys enjoy your recess, okay?"

Quickly, the two left the area, Callum taking quick strides as his feathers retracted into his arms and vanished. Once they were a good distance away, Rayla stopped Callum so she could pull him into a hug.

"Are you okay?" she asked, mentally berating herself as she felt the dejected curve of his spine under her hands. _I should've known the school was a bad idea! We're lucky none of the teachers came out…_

Callum returned the hug readily, taking a shuddering breath and letting it out slowly. He didn't want to start crying just then. "Yeah," he muttered. "I just…"

He drew back a little to look at her. "Now, I know _exactly_ how you felt when I told Aunt Amaya you were a bloodthirsty monster."

Rayla touched a kiss to his cheek. "That was moons ago, and look at how far we've come since. Those kids will learn the truth about humans, and won't be afraid when they grow up. That's the whole point of our kingdoms' alliance. Besides, I think you already made a good impression on them."

That did coax a smile back to Callum's face. "I guess so." He glanced toward the now-distant collection of trees that made up the school. "The adults will probably be harder to convince."

As they looked back, they noticed a small form hurrying down the path after them. Panting, the sharp-eyed boy from before came to a halt in front of them. "I got…" he gasped. "Your feather…" He held up a single brown feather that must have come off when the kids had tugged at Callum's wings. "Wasn't sure…" Pant. "If you needed it…"

Callum couldn't help but grin at the earnest kid. "Why don't you keep it? Feathers like that are good luck."

The boy stood upright, eyes wide. "Whoa, really? I can keep it?" He held up the feather, which was as long as half of his arm. "Thanks! I'll make a lucky arrow with it."

"You make arrows?" Callum tilted his head. "Aren't you a little young?"

"Nope!" the boy replied. "I'm going to be Silvergrove's next craftman. When I'm older, Ethari's gonna be my teacher."

Rayla gasped. "I remember you! You're Koray, aren't you?"

"It's about time you recognized me," the boy huffed.

"Well, you're so much taller and stronger now," Rayla said smoothly. "Clearly, you've been training."

A smirk easily came to Koray's face. "Sure have! I'm ahead of everyone. Ethari's gotta choose me as his apprentice!" He reached into his bag, pulling out a small, glinting item. It was a cleaned and clumsily-carved bone with a shard of metal tied to the end with leather cord. "This is my first shiv!"

Rayla knelt to examine the amateur weapon, suppressing a snicker at the stunned look that was now dominating Callum's face. "That's a fine piece," she said, testing its pressure against a nearby sapling.

"I'm gonna make more and sell them to the others," Koray said. "Then, we can have knife fights during recess."

"What a businessman you are!" Rayla exclaimed while Callum let out a choked sound behind her.

"Uh," Callum coughed. "You'll be making them dull, right? For the knife fights, I mean?"

Koray looked at Callum as if he had just grown a third eye. "Why would anyone want a dull shiv?"

"Right," Callum muttered. "Of course. Silly me."

"Anyway." Koray pocketed the feather and put the shiv back in his bag. "I need to go back. Thanks for the feather, human."

"No problem," Callum replied. "And my name's Callum."

"Good name." Koray waved over his shoulder as he ran back toward the school. "Bye!"

"Bye!" Rayla called, turning back to Callum with a fond chuckle. "Cute kid. We should introduce him to Ezran." She tilted her head at her boyfriend's expression. "What?"

"Are knife fights a normal thing for kids here?" Callum wondered, more than a little concerned.

"It depends." Rayla shrugged nonchalantly. "I always preferred daggers."

The look of vivid horror on Callum's face was enough to make her laugh out loud. "Relax, I'm joking. Actual weapons are forbidden unless you're officially training. The teachers will put a stop to it."

"Oh, good," Callum sighed, his posture relaxing at last. "Wait, why didn't you tell him that?"

Rayla waved dismissively. "Kids need to make their own mistakes. Besides, even if there aren't any fights, he may be able to make a bit of coin before he's caught."

"Huh." Callum still couldn't wrap his head around the idea. At Koray's age, he had been practicing with wooden weapons, and likely would have been grounded for a month if his parents had found something like a shiv in his possession.

_I guess it's just another cultural difference,_ he thought as the two started walking again. _Still, it makes me wonder just how lenient Rayla would be as a mom…_

His cheeks burned as he realized what he had just thought. _Okay. WAY too soon to be thinking anything along those lines! Back it up, Callum. Back it up._

Rayla noticed the oddly-flustered look on Callum's face and took his hand again. "Still thinking about before?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah!" Callum replied, his voice a little high.

"Don't worry," Rayla said. "It's like we've said: It'll take time. Look at how easily Koray took to you. We're already off to a good start."

"You're right." Callum squeezed her hand and took the opportunity to change the subject. "So, we got moonberry surprises from your favorite place, and got to see your school. Is there anything else you wanted to do? Any birthday traditions?"

Rayla's smile faded a little. "I only really ever had one tradition. My parents would always send me a letter on my birthday, and I'd get the day off from training to write back. I'd tell them about what Runaan taught me, the books Ethari was getting for me, how much I missed them…"

Callum noticed a stray tear trailing down Rayla's cheek, and reached over to gently wipe it away. He let go of her hand in favor of wrapping his arm comfortingly around her shoulders. She leaned gladly into him as they walked. "Do you want to write one today?" he asked.

"What's the point?" Rayla murmured. "They're gone."

"That doesn't mean you can't talk to them," Callum insisted. "I talk to my parents all the time, usually before I go to sleep. It's kinda like praying. It makes me feel better." He squeezed her shoulder. "That's just me, though. You should do whatever works for you."

"I may write something tonight." Rayla kissed Callum's cheek. "But right now, I'd rather do something fun."

"What kind of fun?"

Rayla grinned. "Fun in the form of tiny, fuzzy rainbows!"

"YES!" Callum's entire being seemed to light up. "Adoraburrs, here we come!"

They stopped briefly at Ethari's to get some food. Ethari was in his workshop, a pair of glasses on as he mended the link of a very fine golden chain. Callum stopped to watch while Rayla went to get the food.

"How are you enjoying Silvergrove?" Ethari asked, not taking his eyes off the chain as he used some tiny pliers to straighten the link.

"It's really pretty," Callum said, sitting down on a box. "The school was something else, but I found out that no humans are allowed inside."

Ethari noted the sadness in Callum's tone and paused in his work to turn around. "Old attitudes won't change overnight."

"I know," Callum sighed. "It just hurts. I'd like to talk to Chieftain Artemis at some point. If I can arrange a meeting with some of the other ambassadors here, the Moonshadow elves might not be so scared of us. Queen Zubeia and I have been thinking of good communities to reach out to, and I think I'll ask if we can add Silvergrove to that list."

"A fine idea." Ethari nodded. A thought occurred to him, and a joking smile came to his face. "Just so you know: When you visit the Earthblood communities, I advise against wearing branches on your head."

"Why?" Callum asked, his face the picture of innocence. "Would that get in the way of signing our peace _tree_ty?

The corner of Ethari's mouth twitched further upward. "Certainly. It would be a _tree_mendous disaster.

"Well, now I'm _stumped_ as to how I'll fit in!"

"Let me go out on a _limb_ here, and-"

"Nope."

The two looked up at the stairs, where a thoroughly unamused Rayla was standing. "It's my birthday," she said. "And I say no terrible puns."

Callum folded his arms. "Oh yeah? And what defines a terrible pun?"

"Perhaps," Ethari suggested. "We can con_fir_ about that later."

"Ugh." Rayla marched down the stairs, grabbing Callum by the arm and dragging him toward the door. "We're going to the meadow. Bye, Ethari."

"Bye," Ethari called. "Go easy on him, Rayla. You might _burr_-eak his arm!"

Callum burst out laughing while Rayla let out a long-suffering groan, shutting the door behind her. "I don't know who's the worse influence here," she muttered.

"What?" Callum asked, still grinning widely. "Aren't you happy we're getting along so well?"

"At what cost, I wonder," Rayla sighed.

The two left Silvergrove and trekked toward the meadow of adoraburrs. They fell into a companionable silence, walking close and holding hands when on a path, helping each other over obstacles when necessary, and enjoying the warm sunlight and soothing forest breeze.

Finally, they could see the familiar clearing in the distance. Rayla's practiced ears picked up on the tiny squeaks the adoraburrs were always making. Her smile widened with anticipation.

"Ooh, Rayla!" Callum said, stopping just at the edge of the tall grass. "Wanna have a contest?"

"Always!" Rayla replied immediately. "What kind?"

"We jump into the meadow, and see who gets the most adoraburrs on them on the first roll!"

"You're on!" Rayla placed their lunch bag on the ground and readied herself. "On your mark, get set… Jump!"

The two took simultaneous running leaps into the meadow, landing in the sea of grass amid many surprised squeaks. They rolled around, laughing as the soft critters tickled their skin and clung to their clothes. They sat up, their mirth doubling as they looked at each other.

Callum had a full adoraburr afro, along with several more that were hugging his shoulders and arms. Rayla's hair was weighed down with the rainbow fuzzies, and her horns had several perching cheerfully at the tips.

"You win," Rayla conceded, giggling as Callum sneezed a burr off his nose.

"Must be the clothes," he said, holding up his adoraburr-coated arm. "I used to pick up regular, non-adorable burrs all the time as a kid." He held a little blue one up and tickled it, smiling at the giggly chirp it let out. "Ez would love these little guys. Next time he gets a vacation, we're so bringing him here!"

"Agreed!" Rayla started pulling the adoraburrs out of her hair, stacking them in patterns as she did so. Red, blue, green, yellow… "Zym too. I think we might be able to convince Queen Zubeia by then."

"We should bring him back one of those mini moonberry surprises when we go back," Callum suggested. "He'd love that!"

"Good idea." Rayla managed to stack ten adoraburrs before they sprang apart and fell back into the grass.

The two played with the adoraburrs well into the evening, when they stopped to eat the crescent roll sandwiches Rayla had packed, along with a few swigs of moonberry juice. The adoraburrs clustered around them, hoping to snatch a few crumbs. Callum ended up feeding over half of his sandwich to them.

"Okay, that's all!" He crammed the rest of his food into his mouth, so he wouldn't be tempted to give up any more.

Rayla laughed. "I would've thought you'd be immune to begging like that after growing up with Bait."

"I mean," Callum said after swallowing. "Bait has his own grumpy, curmudgeon-y cuteness, but he's no adoraburr."

"True." Rayla gave the rest of her food to the hopeful little creatures before lying back in the grass. She readily wrapped an arm around Callum's midsection as he lay down next to her. "Hello, there."

"Hi." Callum kissed her cheek. "Having a good birthday?"

"The best." Rayla scooted closer, touching a quick, gentle kiss to his lips. "I'm glad you were able to come with me."

Callum eagerly followed her lips, giving her a second, lingering kiss. "I wouldn't have missed it for anything."

Rayla snuggled against Callum's side, nuzzling against his shoulder. "Let's stay here until the stars come out."

"Sounds good." Callum relaxed into the grass as several adoraburrs made themselves comfortable around him. "Just wondering: Are there any summer constellations that don't have to do with Garlath the Annihilator?"

"Uh…" Rayla paused. "I'm sure I can think of one…"

"Elves really like Garlath, huh?" Callum yawned as a few more adoraburrs made a fluffy pillow under his head.

"Yeah. It's comforting, you know?" Rayla looking up through the trees as the sun sank lower, painting the sky several shades of purple and red. "Having the most fearsome of elven warriors watching over you from the night sky."

"That…" Callum paused, considering this. "Okay, that actually makes sense." His eyes drifted shut as he hugged Rayla closer.

"You're not falling asleep, are you?" Rayla piped up, poking his cheek. "I'm not carrying you back, you know."

"Sorry," Callum mumbled. "Between you and the adoraburrs, this is just really comfy. Don't worry, I'm just dozing a little."

Rayla rolled her eyes, smiling fondly. She brushed Callum's hair back, nearly dislodging a sleepy adoraburr in the process. Settling back into the grass, she savored the feeling of her little rainbow friends beneath her and her boyfriend's arms wrapped snugly around her. As the first day of her next year of life came to an end, Rayla knew that she couldn't have asked for a better beginning.

**The mention of Garlath is a reference to the stargazing scene that was acted out at the San Diego Comic-Con, but didn't make it into season 3. It's on Youtube, if you haven't seen it.**

**Balancing the fluffy and angsty aspects of this fic has been fun. The seesaw will be tipping a bit more into angst territory next chapter, so be warned.**

**Until then, peace out!**


	3. Big Feelings Time

**So, it's been way longer than a month since my last update. There are several reasons for that. February was a very bad month for me. I was in a dangerously-dark spiral for the longest time and could hardly get out of bed to work, much less write or do anything else productive. And what happens when I finally start trying to work on myself, seek help, and plan for my future? We get a worldwide pandemic that has already caused one major panic attack! Yay!**

**I know this is a scary time for everyone. All I can say is that the world has been through worse and survived. It won't be easy, but we can make it through this. Be healthy, support your local businesses in whatever way you can, and we can weather this together.**

**I can't bump up the economy or cure this virus, but I can give you something nice to read while you're cooped up at home. Enjoy!**

When Callum entered the kitchen that morning, Ethari handed him an envelope. "Huh?" He looked at the white parchment, which bore the words "Prince Callum." "Who sent this?"

"Chieftain Artemis," Ethari replied. "It appears that she wants to speak with you today."

"Wow!" Callum opened the letter, which detailed the time and place of their meeting (the council building at four). "Did you convince her to talk to me?"

"Actually, no," Ethari admitted. "She reached out on her own, which I find more encouraging."

"Definitely!" Callum was grinning. "This is great! I'd better write a list of what to talk about!"

A few minutes later, Rayla was greeted by a plate of pancakes and a very happy boyfriend. "What's got you so excited this early?" she asked as his infectious grin coaxed the corners of her tired mouth upward.

"Chieftain Artemis wants to talk to me!" Callum handed her the letter. "I didn't even have to ask first! With both her and Janai on our side, I bet we can convince more elves to meet with the human ambassadors!"

"I hope so." Rayla placed the note on the table and sat down, cutting into her pancakes, which were layered with sweet cream and moonberries. "Did her messenger say whether she wanted to ask about the peace talks?"

"Well, no," Callum admitted. "But I'm going to bring it up either way, and if she's open to talking, I think we have a pretty good chance."

Ethari watched the two, shaking his head. "It's hard to believe you're only sixteen," he murmured, half to himself.

"Hey, my brother's running a kingdom at eleven," Callum pointed out. "If anyone's in big shoes, it's him." His expression shadowed as he wondered, as he did at least a thousand times a day, how Ezran was doing just then.

Rayla touched his arm. "I'm sure there will be a letter waiting when we get back to the Spire. You should send him that sketch you were doing of the school!"

"Ooh, yeah!" Callum brightened at the thought. "I should do some more sketches today before my meeting. Want to walk around a bit?"

"Of course! You've only seen a small part of Silvergrove, after all." Rayla took a bite of pancake, pausing to savor it. The last time she had eaten pancakes, Dark Magic had been used to make the batter fluffy. This was a nice change of pace.

"Before you leave," Ethari spoke up. "Would you show me some of your sketches?"

"Sure!" Callum said, jumping up to get his sketchbook.

Rayla watched him with a fond smile. Seeing Callum happy for any reason was always a bright part of her life, but the excited pride that illuminated his face when showing off his art was especially radiant.

Callum quickly returned, opening his sketchbook to one of the early pages. "So, this is my first family portrait."

Ethari looked at the picture, his eyes softening at the telltale signs of an earnest child's first attempt at a large project. The portrait showed two sloppily-drawn adults and a young boy standing between them, holding a baby in his arms. On the following page was a simple circle with angry eyes. "The beginning of the artist's journey," he remarked.

"Something like that." Callum grinned. "Go ahead and flip through. Just stop when you get to the one I did of Queen Zubeia and Zym. The pictures after that aren't done."

"Of course." Ethari slowly began to flip through the book. He was aware of Callum watching him, even while downing a mouthful of pancake.

As he looked at the evolving pictures, Ethari truly felt as if he was getting to know the young man who had won his daughter's heart, more than he would have through one or even twenty conversations. He watched as the family portraits became more detailed, as the expressions became more radiant and human, as the angry circle turned into a grouchy glow toad.

He looked long and hard at the faces of King Harrow and Queen Sarai. For so long, they had simply been foreign rulers. Then, King Harrow became the murderer of King Avizandum. Here, however, he looked like the kindest man in the world. To Callum, he probably was.

Once again, he felt that sharp jab of pain in his chest as he thought about the kindest man in _his_ world. A man who, when Ethari had last seen him, was leaving on a mission to kill this loving father and the happy baby/toddler/child who beamed up from Callum's sketchbook.

_How can he stand being here?_ Ethari wondered, stealing a glance at his guest, whose attention had returned to his pancakes. _How can he stand looking at me?_

Rayla paused mid-bite. _There's that look again!_ As she watched, it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Ethari smiled again as Callum looked back at him. "It's easy to see how much you improved over time."

"Thanks!" Callum beamed. "The newer ones of Xadia are some of my favorites!"

Ethari was looking at some pictures of a young woman with long black hair just as Callum and Rayla finished their breakfasts. He closed the book and held it out. "I'm sure you'll be wanting this while you're out and about. I'll look at the rest later, if I may."

"Of course! I'm glad you like them." Callum tucked the book back into his bag. "I guess I'll _tree_ you later!"

"Time to go." Rayla grabbed Callum's arm, dragging him toward the door.

"Tree you later!" Ethari called brightly.

"Do _not_ try to make that a thing!" Rayla called back.

Ethari's smile faded immediately with the sound of their retreating footsteps. He didn't have the luxury of crying in his room this morning, however. Now that Rayla's birthday was over, it was back to work for him. At least sharpening weapons and repairing jewelry were somewhat distracting endeavors.

…

The weather was significantly hotter than the previous day. Callum had elected to leave his scarf and jacket at Ethari's house, which left his sleeveless vest. He noticed Rayla openly gazing at his rune-clad arms, and his face flushed.

"My eyes are up here, Rayla," he teased.

"Oh, I'll get to those in a moment," Rayla replied with a wink, even as a blush pinked her own cheeks. "Just taking some time to enjoy the view."

"Becoming a smooth-talker, huh?" Callum laughed, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

Rayla giggled, leaning into him. "I just like seeing you flustered."

"I could say the same about you," Callum quipped, casually poking Rayla's ear and flashing a grin as it flicked. He started to move his arm away as they approached the town, but stopped when Rayla placed a firm hand over it. He hesitated, then let it remain around her shoulders as they continued walking.

Rayla pointedly ignored the stares they were greeted to as they passed a few shops. Already, she was wondering if it would have been better to just spend the day in the forest or around Ethari's house.

_No,_ she told herself. _That might make Callum think you're ashamed to be seen with him. People just need to get used to us. I mean, once the kingdoms get used to each other, there will probably be way more human and elf relationships._

This was a thought she had frequently, and one she often used to give herself the courage to deal with whatever prejudice she and Callum faced. If they could make things easier for even one other cross-species romance, it would be worth it.

"So, what do you think about going to the outskirts of Silvergrove? A lot of the homes there have beautiful gardens," Rayla suggested.

"As long as there aren't any Fart Flowers," Callum replied, readying his sketchbook and digging through his bag, only to realize that something was missing.

"Ah!I left my pencils on the table. Be back in a sec." He hurried back toward the tree and up the stairs to Ethari's home.

He was just passing the workshop when he heard a clang followed by a yelp and a hissed curse. Immediately, he changed course and pushed the door open. "Ethari?" he called. "You okay?

"Ach… Yes, I'm fine," Ethari called from where he was nursing a bloody palm. A dagger was on the floor by his feet, partially stained with red. "Dammit," he growled as he looked at the cut. "I'll be out of work for two days with a cut like this…"

Callum ran over, wincing when he saw the wound. "Where do you keep your medical supplies?

"In the cupboard over there." Ethari pointed with his good hand as he stood.

"Stay there! I'll get it." Callum ran to the cupboard, withdrawing a large box. He rummaged through it until he found bandages and a bottle of a sharp-smelling liquid. "Is this to disinfect?" he asked, holding it up.

"That's right," Ethari affirmed. "It's made with a special kind of moss."

Callum joined Ethari at the work bench and started carefully cleaning and wrapping the wound. "What happened?" he wondered.

"I slipped," Ethari muttered, glancing to the side. "I was distracted."

"Huh." Callum glanced at Ethari's face and caught a quick glimpse of something other than annoyance at the cut. There was something deeper in the lines around his eyes, in the tightness of his lips.

"I know it's not my business," he started carefully. "But, Rayla's noticed that you seemed a bit off the other day.

Ethari stiffened. Had he truly been that obvious?

"I know Moonshadow elves aren't big on this kind of stuff," Callum continued. "But my family had this thing called Big Feelings Time. You close your eyes and think about whether or not you have a Big Feeling, then you say it out loud. Then, whoever's with you says 'I hear your feeling.'" He finished tying the bandage. "Maybe you should have that with Rayla. It might make you both feel better."

"Why are you so kind?" Ethari blurted without meaning to. He winced when he realized he had spoken out loud, but it was too late to be silent.

Callum looked up at Ethari, a knowing look in his eye. In that moment, the older elf greatly resembled the Rayla of several months ago, before she had learned that it was okay to accept help from those around her.

"Because you're a kind person too," Callum replied. "And I care about Rayla, so I want things to be good between you."

"I don't know if they can ever be," Ethari admitted, shaking his head slowly. "I hurt her. I know that. I can never take it back." He continued to eye Callum. "You have been hurt as well, lad. It surprises me that you can bear to be in this place."

He took a shuddering breath. "It is likely that my husband was the one to deliver the killing blow to your second father. Yet, you are bandaging my hand and showing concern for my emotions. How can you be so forgiving?"

"I'm not," Callum said, his expression taking on a slight shadow as he lowered his head. He felt his eyes closing out of habit as he delved into his deeper thoughts.

"I haven't forgiven Runaan or Queen Zubeia for killing my stepfather, or for trying to kill Ezran." He took a slow breath. "I haven't forgiven them yet, because it still hurts too much. But I also know why they did what they did. War is…complicated. I learned that firsthand. People do terrible things because they want to stop worse things from happening, or punish someone, or because they're scared, or because their leader told them to."

He shook his head to clear it. "I haven't forgiven them, but I've decided not to hate them. That's how I feel about the Moonshadow elves here, at least most of the adult ones. I haven't forgiven them for planning the assassination, or for how they've treated Rayla, or for how they're treating me, but I don't hate anyone. And…I think I will be able to forgive them someday. I think I'll just know when it's time."

He cracked a smile as he opened his eyes. "And that's an example of a Big Feeling."

"In that case, I hear your feeling." Ethari managed a small smile, though it was still shaded with guilt. "You say 'them,' but I was also involved with the assassination and Rayla's ghosting."

"I know," Callum said. "And I do have some feelings about that, but I also know you're Rayla's dad, and that you've welcomed me here when almost no one else has. I'd rather focus on the good stuff, now that we're trying to make peace with everyone."

"If there are more beings like you in this world," Ethari mused. "I believe peace may truly be in our future."

A warm ember of pride lit up in Callum's chest at the genuine praise, even as he ducked his head modestly. "I'm just doing my best. Rayla's the real hero."

Ethari marveled at just how easily this child loved Rayla, how effortlessly he praised her. She was happier now than she had ever been before, and Ethari knew that it was largely because of Callum. _Would she have been this happy before,_ he wondered. _If we had been just a bit more open about how wonderful she is, and how much we always knew that?_

Callum noticed the sad glimmer returning to Ethari's eyes. "Got a Big Feeling to share?" he asked gently.

"Just… Just that Rayla is lucky to have you." Ethari reached up, lightly patting Callum's hair with his uninjured hand. "Young love is unpredictable, but I hope you will continue to be a part of her life, no matter how things may change or what else may come."

"Me too," Callum said, though he jumped a bit at Ethari's hand on his head. It was such a sudden, paternal gesture, one that brought him back to a simpler time, when his stepfather would mess up his already-unruly hair.

"Callum?" Rayla was walking up the stairs after waiting several minutes for her boyfriend to return. "Don't tell me you lost your pencils in the sofa."

"In here," Callum called.

Rayla peeked into the workshop and gasped when she saw Ethari's bandaged hand. "What happened?"

"Just a minor slip," Ethari quickly assured her. "Nothing to worry about." He glanced at Callum. "Callum, why don't you wait for Rayla outside. I'll send her out in a minute. I just need her help with cleaning this dagger."

Callum nodded, noticing the hesitant, bracing look in Ethari's eyes. "Take as long as you need." He looked at Rayla. "I'll be sketching by that one café with the white flowers in front. Meet me whenever you're done."

"Okay," Rayla replied, her brows furrowing as Callum hurried out. She quickly returned her attention to Ethari, despite her confusion. "Do you need more bandages, or should I just start cleaning?"

"Just clean the blade. Callum did a fine job of wrapping this." Ethari winced as he flexed his hand against the wrappings.

As Rayla hurried to get a rag and some metal-cleaning soap, Ethari slowly worked up the courage he needed to say what needed to be said. With each movement of his adopted daughter, he steeled another part of himself.

_I've ignored this long enough,_ he thought firmly. _I've been selfish, trying to reap the happiness of her return without taking any responsibility for before. I'm the only parent she has left. If I fail her, how will I face Runaan, Tiadrin, and Lain when my soul joins theirs in the heavens?_

As Rayla started cleaning, she couldn't help but cast a glance at Ethari out of the corner of her eye. Dropping a blade and injuring one's hand was an amateur's mistake, one she had never seen her skilled guardian make in all her life. For him to injure himself in such a preventable manner…

"Ethari, what-?" "Rayla, I-"

The two started to speak at the same time, stopped, then laughed. Ethari smiled sheepishly as he sat down next to Ralya. "You first."

Rayla ran the rag over the blade in careful, even swipes, picking up a new cloth when the blood soaked into the first one. "Something's troubling you, isn't it?" she ventured. "You keep getting these sad looks when you think I'm not watching, and I've never seen you cut yourself like this."

"Nothing gets past you," Ethari said with a wry grin. Taking a deep breath, he looked at his bandaged hand. "Do you really feel at home here anymore?" he asked.

"What?" Rayla glanced at Ethari with a puzzled frown. "Of course!" was her automatic answer, though her voice rang hollow, even in her own ears.

Ethari noticed immediately and shook his head. "You don't. And why would you? Everyone here is too stubborn to accept that they were wrong, so they distance themselves from you and treat Callum with suspicion, because that's what they're used to."

He clenched his fists, despite the pain that shot up his arm. "Do you remember that night by the pond? When I told you I wasn't as strong as the others?"

Rayla nodded, her heart twisting painfully at the mere memory of that night.

"It's true," Ethari said. "I'm weak, but not because I undid the spell to see you. I'm weak because I didn't stand up for you. When Runaan's lotus sank, I fell so deeply into my grief, I just accepted what everyone else decided: that you were a traitor. I shunned you when I should have been thanking every deity in the universe that you, at least, hadn't been taken from me."

Rayla's throat tightened, and she felt the itch of oncoming tears. "You don't have to do this," she managed to choke out.

"No, I do," Ethari replied, a hint of fierceness entering his voice. "You came to me, needing help and guidance. You came to me, and I rejected you. I _blamed_ you for Runaan's death!"

His voice cracked, and he put a hand to his mouth, muffling a sob. "If I…If I hadn't found you by the pond… If you had truly vanished from my life that night, if those cruel words had been the last ones you ever heard from me… I don't know what I would have done!"

The cleaned blade fell to the ground with a clatter, and Rayla closed the distance between herself and Ethari, scooting right up against him and hugging him tightly. "I don't know what I would've done either," she admitted. Her shoulders began to shake, and a tremor shuddered its way up her throat and through her lips.

Ethari's arms came up, closing that last tiny gap between them. He squeezed her tightly, trying to soothe her trembling. Tears gushed from his eyes, but he tried to keep his voice steady.

"Ever since that night, I've hated myself more and more. I go over all the reasons we were wrong in my head, over and over again. Even if you hadn't found Prince Azymondias, there are so many reasons why you would've been the only one alive. You could have been in a human dungeon, for all I knew!" He choked a bit on that thought.

"Don't," Rayla said firmly, though there were tears streaming down her face by this point. "Don't think about it, okay? I understand why everyone felt the way they did. Everyone thought my parents had abandoned their duty. Me doing the same thing made sense."

"No, it didn't." Ethari drew back to look at her. "You are your own person. You should have been judged as such. Besides," his voice trembled yet again. "Tiadrin and Lain weren't traitors. Queen Zubeia's proclamation reached us a moon or so after you sent word to me."

"Yes, I know. I got the invitations from you and Chieftain Artemis afterward."

A flickering glimmer of anger passed across Ethari's eyes. "They weren't going to lift the ghosting spell, you know," he muttered. "It wasn't until you were publicly declared a hero that I was able to convince them. I had them unghost Tiadrin and Lain too, even though they're…" He trailed off, swallowing a lump in his throat.

Rayla felt a twist in her chest, though Ethari's words hardly surprised her. "I'm glad their names were cleared, at least…"

"They were wronged, just as much as you were." Ethari stared at the ground. "They were our best friends, but Runaan and I accepted what everyone else decided without question." He shook his head. "We never were strong, even then."

He turned back to Rayla, wiping some of her tears away with his unbandaged hand. "I'm so sorry, Rayla. I'm sorry for turning you aside. I'm sorry that I didn't do a good enough job of showing you how much you've meant to me over the years. I'm sorry for every time you felt like you weren't good enough or strong enough. I'm sorry for being an unworthy parent."

"Ethari!" Rayla gasped. "I couldn't have asked for better parents than the ones I was given. Mom, Dad, Runaan, you… Even if I could, I wouldn't have chosen anyone else!"

Ethari made a strained hiccupping noise, turning his head away abruptly. _What did I do to deserve her?_ He took a breath as Rayla took his hand, gripping it tightly. He smiled shakily at her, squeezing back.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, letting the last of their tears fall, before Ethari straightened his back and stood up resolutely, pulling Rayla up with him.

"I think that's enough crying for today," he said, a slight waver still in his voice. He touched a kiss to Rayla's wet cheek. "Go and have a wonderful day with Callum. I'll have dinner ready when you come home."

Rayla sniffled as she stepped back. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"I'll be fine," he promised. "With my hand the way it is, I'll likely close the shop for today and get some reading done." He walked with her to the door and saw that the sign on the handle had already been flipped to the "Closed" side. _Callum must have done that when he left._

Rayla took one last deep breath, calming herself as she stepped outside. "Do you need me to get anything while I'm out?"

Ethari felt himself relaxing further as they fell into a familiar, domestic conversation. He drew a silver from his pocket. "I was thinking of making some bacon with the waffles tomorrow."

"Can do!" Rayla chirped, pocketing the coin. She hugged Ethari once more around the middle. "Love you!"

Ethari ruffled her hair gently. "Love you too." As his daughter ran down the steps to find Callum, he called after her: "Tree you tonight!"

"Ugh, why are you like this?" Rayla groaned, though she couldn't hide a slight laugh as she rolled her eyes at her guardian. Truthfully, her heart felt lighter than ever. It was as if a weight that had been settling in her chest since her arrival was finally gone.

The stares and silence of the other Silvergrove elves suddenly didn't matter anymore. Let them be stubborn and close-minded! Not all of them were like that, after all. Even if they were, all that truly mattered was Ethari. He was Rayla's family, and he loved her unconditionally. She never had to worry about him turning away from her again, even if every other Moonshadow elf did in the future. He would always be there. Everything was going to be okay.

_I guess sharing "Big Feelings" isn't so bad,_ she mused.

Ethari watched Rayla leave with a smile on his face. For the first time, that smile didn't fade when she was out of sight. Burning sunlight and an unbroken blue sky mixed with interlacing tree branches above him, creating a sight more beautiful than any painting or tapestry.

_How'd I do?_ he thought, a hint of melancholy gentling the edges of his smile as he gazed upward.

A soft breeze kissed his face and he closed his eyes, a wordless sigh escaping his lips and mingling with the warm air.

**Another reason why this chapter took so long is that I ended up changing the entire outline of this story. Originally, it was going to go down a darker path with Callum being hazed and injured by some Moonshadow elves and everyone dealing with the repercussions of that. (That mention of the highly-alcoholic moonberry wine in the last chapter was meant to be forshadowing.) I spent hours just staring at the pages of this chapter, trying to figure out how to get to that point, when I realized that I didn't want to. I realized that this story was supposed to be about Rayla, Callum, and Ethari coming together. Also, I wanted to write something that had a bit more hope and positivity, because there's just too much negativity in the world right now.**

**So, instead of six chapters, the story is going to end with the next update, which will be a nice dose of Rayllum fluff and Ethari being the best dad. I'll see you then!**

**Hang in there, and peace out!**


	4. Mental Health Break

**The apocalypse continues, my lovelies! Among other things, I have learned that I will be laid off within the next few days. I can't bring myself to be too upset about it, though. To tell the truth, my mental health issues have been significantly lessened since this whole thing started. It tells you something when a pandemic is less of a strain on your mind than your day job, huh?**

**Don't be too worried about me. I'm living with my parents and have built up a cushion over the past year, so I'll be fine. I'm more concerned about my coworkers, in all honesty. I hope everyone will be on their feet by the time everything opens up again and we can go back to work. If I decide to open up commissions, I'll be sure to make a post in the near future.**

**In the meantime, enjoy!**

Rayla sat on a bench near the council building, two boxed moonberry surprises from the Eclipse Bakery next to her. She hoped Callum's meeting would be over soon. It was a warm day and moonberry surprises definitely lose some of their appeal after a certain amount of time in direct sunlight.

After her talk with Ethari, Rayla had been all too happy to take some time for herself, walking around town and stopping by the bakery as she let her nerves settle. _Callum might be able to handle large amounts of emotional stuff,_ she thought. _But I need a break!_

Still, she was glad that the air was finally clear between her and her guardian. Though she hadn't wanted to admit it, or even think about it, there had been an ugly, bitter part of her that kept revisiting that moment in Ethari's workshop. She had tried pushing it aside, ignoring it in favor of the more positive emotions that came with her homecoming.

Now that it was truly gone in the aftermath of Ethari's apology, she realized just how painful it had been. For the first time since she returned to Silvergrove, she could truly breathe again.

Perhaps that was why, when a pair of older council elves shot her a not-at-all-subtle look of contempt as they passed, she responded with a bold scowl of her own. She felt her muscles tense as the duo changed course and approached her. She stood and bowed stiffly, showing the bare minimum of respect someone of their stature required. They barely inclined their heads in return.

"My, my," the older of the two commented. "It's strange to see a young assassin sunbathing instead of training." The gold, full-moon badge on her cloak marked her as a councilwoman of two full decades.

"Indeed," said her companion, whose bronze crescent badge marked them as a member of fewer than five years. "I would hope that fame and fortune would not be enough to turn one of our own soft."

"Not at all," Rayla replied smoothly. "As Captain of the Dragonguard, I have a very strict training regimen. This trip is the first vacation I've taken since my appointment, and it was approved by Queen Zubeia herself." She didn't bother to hide the pride in her voice as she mentioned the Dragon Queen.

Mention of Queen Zubeia did cause the two to falter for a moment, but the older elf recovered quickly. "Yes, your vacation…with that human."

"Prince Callum," Rayla said, putting emphasis on his name, "Is currently meeting with Chieftain Artemis concerning future peace talks."

"Such things could have been easily handled in a full council at the Storm Spire," the younger elf said dismissively. "There was no need to bring a human into Silvergrove." Their eyes flashed. "When we agreed to un-ghost you, it was not with the intention that our home would become a playground for outsiders."

"Easy, now," the older elf cut in, speaking over Rayla's outraged gasp. "Surely, you remember what it's like to be a child with your first crush. Bringing her friend once won't do any harm. I, for one, am willing to overlook it _this_ time." She spoke with the air of a truly generous benefactor.

It took a concentrated effort on Rayla's behalf to not start grinding her teeth. "Callum is more than a crush," she said, keeping her voice even. "He is my best friend and partner, and you would be wise to speak respectfully of him."

At this, the older elf's expression did harden. She took a step closer to Rayla, staring down at her with icy blue eyes. "Dear, I hope you don't let your recent acts of heroism go to your head. The world may be getting bigger, and your deeds may be admirable, but never forget that you are, first and foremost, a Moonshadow elf of Silvergrove."

"Oh, really?" Rayla said, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. "Then why were the Moonshadow elves of Silvergrove the first to turn their backs on me?"

While the two council members were struck dumb by her outburst, Rayla turned her attention toward the council building, from which Callum was just emerging. There was a rigidness to his posture, and he was taking several deep breaths.

_Looks like things didn't go well._ Rayla picked up the boxed moonberry surprises and brushed past the council members. "Hey, Callum," she said, forcing her voice to sound bright and casual. "It's a bit hot out. Want to eat these back at Ethari's?"

In a moment, Callum took in the tightness at the corners of Rayla's eyes and the outraged elves behind her. His recent disappointment was immediately pushed to the back of his mind. He glanced quickly at the two elves and gave her a questioning look. When Rayla responded with a minute head shake, he responded. "Yeah. Let's go."

The two were silent as they walked back home. Their pace was brisk, but not quick enough to look like they were running from something. They both let out sighs of relief as they approached Ethari's home.

Ethari was in the living room when the two came in. "Back so soon?" He removed his reading glasses, frowning when he saw the twin expressions of discontent on the kids' faces. "What happened?"

"I ran into some bigots in town," Rayla grumbled.

"So, that's what was up," Callum sighed. "Well, I ran into one in the council building."

Ethari stood up, waving them to the kitchen. "Why don't you tell me about it while I start some tea?"

After sitting down at the table, Callum turned to Rayla. "So, what happened with those cranky elves?"

Rayla sighed, leaning back in her chair so that the front two legs lifted off the ground. "They were going on about how I shouldn't forget my heritage as a Moonshadow elf just because I saved all of Xadia. That apparently includes not bringing a human into Silvergrove. Or being close to said human."

She opened the box that had her moonberry surprise. The frosting had started to melt somewhat. "They also implied that un-ghosting me might have been a mistake if I'm going to keep bringing humans here."

"Well, the good news is that they won't dare to ghost you again," Ethari said. "Despite their personal feelings, you are a national hero. It would look terrible for them to ghost you, especially for being close to an ambassador." He nodded at Callum. "And if they truly are that stupid, Silvergrove will have to find a new weapons master, because I'll simply leave."

Despite the lingering annoyance Rayla was feeling, she couldn't help but smile at her guardian's support. Their eyes met and echoes of their earlier talk passed between them in a wordless moment of understanding.

"Maybe we should just bring Ethari to the Spire next time you guys want to visit," Callum suggested. "Everyone's a lot friendlier there."

"I would love to see the Storm Spire!" Ethari placed a cup of tea in front of Callum, moving a bit slower than usual due to his dominant hand being injured. "Now, what happened during your meeting with Chieftain Artemis?"

Callum's expression soured as he thought back. "Well, it started off okay. She seemed open to meeting with other representatives."

"That's good," Rayla commented, keeping her voice encouraging as she waited for the bad part.

"But…The whole time I was talking to her, I could tell she didn't take me seriously." Callum paused to take a bite of moonberry surprise. This one had a simple lemon curd filling. "Like, you remember how Lujanne was when I was trying to get her to teach me moon magic? Going on about how I'm 'only human?' It was like that. She listened to me, but it was almost like she was listening to a kid who she was just…indulging, you know?"

He paused to take a sip of his tea. "At one point, she even asked me whether there would be any 'more experienced' ambassadors at the upcoming meetings. When I told her I'm technically the most experienced human when it comes to interactions with Xadia, she looked…vaguely amused, I guess."

"Ugh." Rayla grimaced as she clearly pictured Chieftain Artemis's condescending expression. She didn't know the village chieftain very well personally, but it was easy to believe her attitude after her talk with those other council elves. "This is why you're the ambassador, and I'm the guard captain. I would've walked out."

"I was also able to ask about maybe tapping into the Moon Arcanum." Callum's frown deepened. "She asked if the Sky Arcanum wasn't enough for me. I said that I wanted to see if it's possible for humans to learn about more than one form of Primal Magic at once, and she brushed it off, saying it's impossible. She said only the most ancient Startouch elves have ever done such a thing, so a short-lived human shouldn't waste their time on something that's out of their league."

He shook his head. "I don't get how she can say that so easily. I mean, wasn't it considered impossible for a human to learn Primal Magic? But here I am, living proof that it's something we can actually do. Why would humans still get written off after that?"

"For the same reason a hero would be given anything less than a hero's welcome when she returns home," Ethari said as he set a cup of tea in front of Rayla. "The world may be changing, but not everyone is ready to change with it. Nearly every elf and dragon in Xadia has lived their lives never seeing another human, but being told that humans are a certain way. It will take time for them to adjust."

"I know," Callum muttered. "But some of them are taking way longer than others. It's not that hard! I mean, I grew up on stories that Moonshadow elves drink blood, and I learned pretty quickly that that's not true!"

Ethari raised an eyebrow as he sat down with his own teacup. "That's actually something humans say about us?" He wasn't sure whether to feel offended or amused.

"I-I mean, they don't now!" Callum hurriedly said. "Or…I hope they aren't…"

He hadn't been back to Katolis since his and Rayla's initial departure into Xadia, now that he thought about it. What _was_ the opinion of the average human back home when it came to elves? _I should probably know that, since I'm an ambassador…_

"It'll be a process," Ethari said again. "One that will continue as long as you and others keep working on people like Chieftain Artemis. Even if she doesn't take you seriously now, she still agreed to meeting with other leaders in the future. She'll be able to see for herself what you have to offer in the coming talks."

Callum managed a smile. "You're right. I guess I thought that ending the war and saving Zym would be the hardest part of this whole thing."

There was a pause as the three silently paid attention to their tea. Rayla quickly finished her moonberry surprise. Callum, who had eaten about half of his, pushed his box in front of her. She was quick to dig in.

"You know," Ethari mused. "I'm glad you two didn't get in any real trouble. The looks on your faces when you came in reminded me of that one time Rayla got in trouble for selling wild animals from her locker at school."

Rayla groaned while Callum let out a laugh. "Wait, really?"

"When she was about six, Rayla got the bright idea of making some extra coin by capturing wild animals and selling them to her classmates," Ethari explained, blatantly ignoring Rayla as she hit her head on the table with a resigned thud. "She would set out these boxes with pieces of buttered toast and wait for an animal to jump in."

"Jam…"

Both Callum and Ethari looked at Rayla, whose face was still on the table.

"I didn't catch anything with the buttered toast, so I switched to moonberry jam," she muttered.

"And did you catch anything with the jam?" Callum asked, his eyes twinkling.

"One squirrel."

"Which she kept in her locker," Ethari finished. "For a week. Feeding it toast."

"I actually did find a buyer; I'll have you know!" Rayla cut in.

"Yes, but the squirrel chewed through the box you gave him, and went running through the library!"

"Yeah, and I had to give the idiot his money back," Rayla sighed as she sat up again. "Honestly, if you can't hold onto a squirrel, don't buy one."

"If you got Ez as a business partner, you might be more successful if you try again," Callum pointed out.

Rayla giggled. "He'd be more likely to lecture me on why squirrels don't belong in lockers."

"Well, he can't complain about you feeding it toast, considering all the jelly tarts Bait eats," Callum laughed.

Ethari chuckled. "You were quite peeved when you had to let the squirrel go. At least the incident didn't coincide with your headbutting phase, or things could've gone south very quickly."

"Ethari, no!" "Her what?!"

Rayla's expression was one of absolute anguish while Callum looked like his birthday had come all over again.

"Oh, yes," Ethari said nonchalantly. "It's something all elves go through when they're little and their horns are hardening. They headbutt anything they can find, or _anyone_. Poor Runaan…" He shook his head, a fond smile on his face. "The amount of times your father and I had to yank you from the trunk of a tree…"

Rayla facepalmed as Callum's muffled snickers filled the kitchen. "Did you have to?" she muttered.

"Callum is an ambassador," Ethari said, his face the picture of innocence. "He should have a well-rounded understanding of elves if he's going to be in Xadia for the foreseeable future."

"Yeah, Rayla," Callum chirped. "This is all very relevant information!"

"Shut up and drink your tea," Rayla grumbled.

Callum snickered, reaching over to poke Rayla's face. "Hey. Hey. No pouting. Where's my smiley Rayla?"

Rayla scoffed, batting his hand away, but was unable to hide the smile that crept its way to her face.

Ethari watched the two with a quiet chuckle, getting up to take their empty cups. "If you'd rather stay inside today, I set aside some books for you on the end table. There are a few that delve into the history of some common moon spells, Callum."

"Ooh!" Callum perked up eagerly. "That sounds great!" He glanced at Rayla. "Unless you had somewhere you wanted to take me today."

"Well, I do," Rayla said, her cheeks flushing a bit. "But we have to go around midnight, so relaxing here would probably be a good idea."

"Midnight, huh?" Callum grinned. "And it's a full moon tonight! Does that mean awesome Moonshadow magic?"

"Sort of…" Rayla trailed off, glancing toward Ethari. While Callum's response was one of curiosity, her guardian had immediately straightened at the mention of midnight, glancing sharply in Rayla's direction.

"Say no more. I'll wait for the surprise!" Callum cheerfully walked into the living room.

Ethari quickly closed the distance between himself and Rayla. His eyes were glinting, his former shock melting into a gentle smile. "You're taking him to the Full Moon Clearing, aren't you?"

Rayla's blush deepened as she nodded. "Is that okay?"

Ethari drew Rayla close, kissing her forehead. "Of course. I was just a little startled to hear you mention…" He shook his head. "You really are growing up too fast for me."

"Oh, cut it out," Rayla murmured, leaning into Ethari's side. "You don't have to be so dramatic about it."

"Come back and talk to me about being dramatic in a few years, if you end up with a child of your own." Ethari drew back. "Just make sure you explain things to Callum before you go."

Rayla rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

When she went into the living room, Callum was already settling on the couch with one of Ethari's books. It was a thick one titled _The Evolution of Illusion_.

"That's about how spells were refined over the years," Rayla explained. "It's an old textbook of Runaan's."

"Neat!" Callum started at the beginning, his eyes already lighting up. He glanced up at Rayla. "You gonna read, or rest?"

"Rest, I think." Rayla walked toward the couch. "Would I distract you too much if I slept here?"

Callum scooted to the far side of the couch in answer. As Rayla started to put pillows on the other side, he timidly suggested: "You could use my lap as a pillow, if you want."

"Thanks, but I'd rather not get bonked in the face with that book," Rayla said with a smirk.

Callum pouted. "I wouldn't do that."

"It's a heavy book. It would end up on my face," Rayla said flatly as she curled up on her side of the couch.

The two spent the next hour or so in comfortable silence. They often had moments like this at the Storm Spire, when Rayla was done with a patrol and Callum was finished with his lessons. They would rest in the same area, not needing to fill the air with conversation. It was a familiar, relaxed atmosphere that erased any remaining tension from their earlier encounters that day. Rayla would wake from her doze and go to the kitchen. Callum would take a break and go downstairs to take a short bath. Ethari left a pot of tea on the stove and retired to his room. At one point, Callum took out his sketchbook and Rayla started writing something down on a spare bit of parchment.

Eventually, Callum's eyes got tired and he placed the book and his sketchbook to the side. Rayla had recently returned to lying on the couch and was staring sleepily at the wall.

"Mind if I join you?" Callum asked.

Wordlessly, Rayla scooted to the back of the couch and lifted the blanket. She let out a sigh as his warm back pressed against her front. She nuzzled his hair, which was still a little damp at the ends from his recent bath.

Callum yawned, melting effortlessly into his girlfriend's strong embrace. He loved how her thin, muscular arms felt as they wrapped snugly around his front, her hands resting over his as his arms curled in over his chest. Her legs wove through his and her lips pressed against the back of his neck.

Whenever they slept together, they would usually fall into one of two positions. The first was the one they were currently in, with Callum curled up and Rayla pressed protectively against his back. The second involved Rayla cuddling against Callum's front, pressing her cheek to his chest while he held her close, rubbing her shoulders and resting his chin between her horns.

It was hard to decide which position the two liked more. They both enjoyed being the one to hold and protect the other, but they also craved the comfort of being the sheltered one.

At that moment, it didn't matter too much, as they both felt perfectly safe in the warm, wood-walled room. The dimming light gently peeked in through the tinted curtains, and there was little noise besides the chirping of birds and the footsteps of Ethari as he emerged from his room to pick up a book.

"Remember," he said casually as he walked by. "You're still kids, so no funny business under my roof."

Both teens were wide awake immediately, Callum sitting up with an incoherent sputter while Rayla snapped angrily: "Ethari, seriously?!"

"Just saying," Ethari said as he picked up a book and walked back toward the hallway. "I was sixteen once, so I know-"

"For the love of Garlath, _shut up!_" Rayla groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"Sorry, sorry," Ethari said, totally unrepentant as he left the room.

Callum gaped at the hallway before turning to Rayla with a sheepish grin. "I mean, I'm pretty sure it's a dad's job to embarrass his kid at least five times a day, right?"

"I want to die," Rayla whined.

"Aw, come here," Callum murmured, pulling Rayla close so she could hide her blushing face in his chest. He kissed the top of her head as she snuggled against him.

Privately, he couldn't have been happier about Ethari's attitude. Even before their discussion in his shop, it had been clear that Rayla's guardian was determined to make Callum welcome and was truly glad that Rayla had found someone who genuinely loved her. And, despite Ethari's recent comment, he seemed to trust the two enough to leave them on the couch together without being in the room.

Rayla felt herself calm down as Callum held her, and even allowed herself a wry smile at Ethari's stupid sense of humor. If he had actually been worried about her and Callum engaging in "funny business," he would have been staring at them with hawk-eyes for the past hour, not resting in his room.

Callum's heartbeat was a familiar lullaby to Rayla's ears, and she felt her eyelids drooping as she listened to it. Her blush had died down, but she had no wish to move. "Can we stay like this?" she muttered groggily.

"Hey, I'm good either way." Callum shifted so that he was further from the edge of the couch and gently pulled Rayla with him as he lay back down. He draped his arm over her back, rubbing between her shoulder blades while propping the pillow under their heads up with his other arm.

Rayla sighed contentedly, gently gripping the front of Callum's vest. "Are you feeling any better?" she asked.

"Yeah," Callum murmured, letting his head sink into the pillow. "That meeting was frustrating, but I know I'm making progress." He kissed the top of her head. "You had a big day." Rayla had told him briefly about her talk with Ethari, but hadn't gone into detail, which didn't surprise Callum. Some Big Feelings were meant to be kept between two people.

"Mm hm." Rayla smiled as Callum continued to rub slow circles on her back. "It'll have a good end, though."

"Can you give me a hint at what you'll be showing me?" Callum whispered.

"You might tease me for being a hopeless romantic," Rayla replied.

Callum's cheeks flushed happily. Rayla was usually shy about grand, "lovey-dovey" gestures. The thought of her arranging something that might brand her as a romantic was an intriguing and exciting one. "You know I wouldn't tease you." He hugged her a little closer. "Can't wait to see what it is."

Rayla was nearly asleep by this point, so she didn't bother responding. She just let herself sink into the familiar warmth of Ethari's couch and her boyfriend's embrace.

Callum remained awake for a little while longer, his heart thumping as he tried to guess what Rayla was planning. Eventually, the soft sound of her breathing was enough to lull him into a pleasant doze. He was faintly aware of footsteps walking by, followed by the click of the nearby lamp being turned off.

**So, there will be one more chapter of this fic, after all. I was going to have everything happen in this chapter, but it ended up being longer than I expected, so I decided to divide it up. Tune in next time to see what Rayla's surprise is, as well as Callum's newest sketch!**

**Keep smiling and finding reasons to move forward during this crazy time. Hopefully, I can help make you all happier, even a little bit, as I try to write more in the coming days.**

**Peace out!**


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